Posted: 4/24/2013 3:36:37 PM EDT
| I thought I'd pick up a Mini 14 to plink with. I know they aren't great quality, but they are like the M-1 carbine and fun to plink with. What blew me away was that I could pick up a base model AR for the same price a Mini 14 cost!!! The Mini 14 is in the same price range as the AR??? I'll retire to bedlam. |
| I shot several minis over the years and found them to be quite accurate. I was suprised to see so much negativity for them. I wish their magazines dropped out as easy as an AR though. My LGS has four black and stainless tactical models for $880. Seems high but I think that's the norm now. |
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Not me, but I know people who've bought them to use for SD while in state forests camping/hiking up mountains. They say it doesn't freak out the other campers as much as an AR does. BTW, those people are from CA. Go figure...
I honestly don't know why anyone would choose a Mini over an AR. If the Mini was cheaper by 200-300 dollars, I can see it, but they're clearly not. <shrug> |
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For $400-$500 I would pick up a Mini-14, but not for the price they are demanding these days. I checked gunbroker a few days ago and was stunned what people were asking for, and the Ruger MSRP seems to be out of whack. Right before all this nonsense started last Fall, there was a pretty close to new Mini about 100 miles north of me. I made contact with the guy and was going to go get it when it hit $450. It did, but before I made it up there, someone else bought it. Like you said, the prices now are 
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Bought this Mini-14 Ranch back in 1996. Put a Ruger Hogue stock on it a few years back.
This past year I got interested in it again and sent the trigger group off for lightening. It now has a 3.0 lb pull. At the same time I ordered a set of Tech Sights for the gun, If you've ever tried to adjust the others it was a pain in the butt, Tech sight made it easy. 
The 6" target in the middle was me sighting the gun in at 25 yards. The target to the right was 5 shots after I had it where I wanted. I moved it out to 50 and shot the target on the bottom left first, then above it next. The three across the top were shot by the wife. She started in the middle, shot a bull at the left (wouldn't shut-up about it), then shot the target to right. 
The sights and trigger pull helped me tremendously, I still have eyes that need glasses (which I won't use) but this is a great improvement over my last outing with the gun. I only wish I had done the mods 15 years ago when I got the gun. You decide if it's worth keeping......... |
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Mini's are overpriced in my opinion. I think they should sell for no more than 600 bucks for the tactical models. That being said, I think they have a place. That place being for people in ban states such as cali, I would much rather have a mini than a neutered AR15, if I was unlucky enough to live there. Also I think a lot of people out there like them for a plinker they can carry in their truck or tractor and not freak people out like they would if they had an AR or AK hanging in the back window of the truck.
The new tactical model Mini's have been reported to get pretty decent accuracy since they have a thicker and shorter barrel. One of the biggest problems with the older mini 14s accuracy was the barrels used. They were too long and too thin. So they would heat up quickly and you would get bad barrel whip. Ruger is also reported to have changed to all in house cold hammer forged barrels for all their rifles. Before they used to contract out their barrels and all ruger rifles had a bad rep for poor accuracy. I know my new ruger hawkeye is a tack driver. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I honestly don't know why anyone would choose a Mini over an AR. If the Mini was cheaper by 200-300 dollars, I can see it, but they're clearly not. <shrug> There are other rifles other then ARs' you know. Really?  Every other rifle I own is made of wood & steel: M1 Garand, M1 Carbine, M1903A3...  |
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Quoted: Mini's are overpriced in my opinion. I think they should sell for no more than 600 bucks for the tactical models. That being said, I think they have a place. That place being for people in ban states such as cali, I would much rather have a mini than a neutered AR15, if I was unlucky enough to live there. Also I think a lot of people out there like them for a plinker they can carry in their truck or tractor and not freak people out like they would if they had an AR or AK hanging in the back window of the truck. Agreed. I used to suggest the Mini to people looking for a .223 rifle that was cheaper than a typical AR...but that is no longer the case. |
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I have the reverse of your folder - it's stainless with a blued folder. We should trade stocks! 
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Sold mine right before Newtown for $490 to a dealer at a gun show. It was the neutered version since I bought it during the first AWB. He probably had no problem selling it for more than that. I only paid like $450 for it to begin with. I'd pay about that for one...if everyone wasn't asking $800 plus. I guess I'll have to wait until this silliness winds down. Heck, you think prices would be dropping like those for ARs and AKs as it is tough to find ammo to feed these beasts. |
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Bought this Mini-14 Ranch back in 1996. Put a Ruger Hogue stock on it a few years back. This past year I got interested in it again and sent the trigger group off for lightening. It now has a 3.0 lb pull. At the same time I ordered a set of Tech Sights for the gun, If you've ever tried to adjust the others it was a pain in the butt, Tech sight made it easy. <a href="http://s171.photobucket.com/user/dmsmith12345/media/DSC01005_zps467a6265.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u289/dmsmith12345/DSC01005_zps467a6265.jpg</a> The 6" target in the middle was me sighting the gun in at 25 yards. The target to the right was 5 shots after I had it where I wanted. I moved it out to 50 and shot the target on the bottom left first, then above it next. The three across the top were shot by the wife. She started in the middle, shot a bull at the left (wouldn't shut-up about it), then shot the target to right. <a href="http://s171.photobucket.com/user/dmsmith12345/media/DSC01004_zpsb25d22da.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u289/dmsmith12345/DSC01004_zpsb25d22da.jpg</a> The sights and trigger pull helped me tremendously, I still have eyes that need glasses (which I won't use) but this is a great improvement over my last outing with the gun. I only wish I had done the mods 15 years ago when I got the gun. You decide if it's worth keeping......... So, you are getting about 12 MOA out of it? Pretty good for a mini-14. |
| Most of the accuracy complaints are coming from people with the older models. The new ones with the thicker barrels have been out for a a few years now and do much better. My ranch rifle will keep 55 grain ball under 2 MOA over a rest with a four power scope. I agree that they are definately overpriced. |
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Paid $200.00 for mine in 1976. That chain of sporting good stores isn't even in business now. According to an online inflation calculator thats almost $800 in todays bucks... You might have an error in the formula. That would be 400% inflation in less than 40 years. I might be incorrect, but find it hard to believe it would be that much, even with the compounding effects of yearly inflation. |
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I thought I'd pick up a Mini 14 to plink with. I know they aren't great quality, but they are like the M-1 carbine and fun to plink with. What blew me away was that I could pick up a base model AR for the same price a Mini 14 cost!!! The Mini 14 is in the same price range as the AR??? I'll retire to bedlam. More like a scaled down M14. |
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Paid $200.00 for mine in 1976. That chain of sporting good stores isn't even in business now. How much were AR15's then? Not a whole lot more... I paid $350.00 for a Colt Ar15-A1 back then. The accuracy was not much better than the mini's until the H-Bars came along. |
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If I were to hit a soup can at 50 yds it was a fluke. I had to sight it at 25 yds to make sure it wasn't the sights. 100 yds was a joke. Traded mine for a Century AR-15 built from a '60s vintage M-16A1. Shot 3/4 inch groups at 100 yds with Malaysian surplus ammo. Wouldn't own another Mini 14! |
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I shot several minis over the years and found them to be quite accurate. I was suprised to see so much negativity for them. I wish their magazines dropped out as easy as an AR though. My LGS has four black and stainless tactical models for $880. Seems high but I think that's the norm now. Because all of GD is Tier One, and if it's not a Wal Mart colt.. it's not good enough 
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